Coated in a delicate broth of sorts, this pasta is definitely on the light and healthy side of the pasta spectrum.

I happen to like pasta dishes that are less sauce and more pasta and this definitely fits the bill. It especially made me happy because it is made start-to-finish in less than 30 minutes and the prep is really simple.

The other factor of happiness? My kids gobbled up the spinach in a flash because they soon realized it was impossible to pick out the healthy greens from the tangled mass of tender noodles. Whatever works, if you ask me. I, on the other hand, gobbled it up because the wonderful flavors were just too much for me to resist.

P.S. Vacation is over but I’m currently on a plane back home. If I don’t get to your email or comment today, I’ll be back to “normal” – whatever that is – in a day or so. Thanks!

This meal has a lot of components already wrapped up inside so I keep it simple with…Fresh fruit or green saladSteamed broccoli or other vegetable (even with peas in the casserole, you can never offer too many veggies to kids, in my opinion)Simple Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat, tossing frequently to avoid burning. Once the nuts are golden, set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter and add the turkey bacon, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, until the turkey bacon and mushrooms are browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in the chicken broth and let the mixture simmer for about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon salt to the water in the pot and cook the linguine until al dente, according to package directions. Before draining the noodles, reserve 1 cup of the pasta wter and set aside. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Stir in the spinach, mushroom/bacon mixture, and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss to combine, adding additional pasta water, if needed.

15 comments on “Linguine with Bacon and Spinach”

I made this tonight and it was very good! I did end up using broth instead of the pasta water, because of the milky gluten free pasta water. I also added some chopped vidalia onion because my husband and I just both like onions in most everything! I couldn’t find pine nuts at my store either, so I ended up chopping up some walnuts and using them instead. It turned out wonderful though, we both ate too much because it was too hard to pull ourselves away from! My meal plan this week has been all Mel’s recipes! Saturday was Shrimp Enchiladas, Sunday was Grilled Honey Chicken and Veggie Kabobs, Tomorrow is Southwest Rice & Bean Salad and then Greek Pastitio! What would I do without you?? 🙂

Had this tonight for dinner and we LOVED it! I used real bacon instead of turkey bacon, don’t hate me. I especially loved using the pasta water for sauce. 5 out of 5 stars for this keeper of a recipe. Thanks Mel!!

I made this for dinner last night. It was great! Here’s what I did differently: I used almonds instead of pine nuts, and I toasted them in the butter. I set those aside and cooked the bacon in the same pan. When the bacon was almost done, I added the mushrooms. Then I followed the rest as written. Yummy!!

Just a suggestion for idiot cooks like me – buy shelled pine nuts! 🙂 I had a recipe once that called for pine nuts and I just naturally bought the ones in shells like I always do (to oven roast and eat -yum!). BIG mistake! Took me 2 hours to shell 1/2 C and then when I ran my daughter to piano my 3 year old tried one, thought they were gross and threw them away!! Most horrible dinner prep day ever. Just pay the $ to buy the shelled ones. I hope most of you are a lot smarter than I am would naturally do this 🙂

This looks amazing! This is my first time commenting, but I have made so many recipes from your site, and they are all so good. My husband even made your sweet and sour chicken in the dutch oven, and it turned out great. Thanks for all of the tasty recipes!

This looks amazing! This is my first time commenting, but I have made so many recipes from your site, and they are all so good. My husband even made your sweet and sour chicken in the dutch over, and it turned out great. Thanks for all of the tasty recipes!